Thursday, December 13, 2012

Make Your Reservations!

I know it's hard to believe, but it's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for January! Here are a few of the releases we are looking forward to in the first month of 2013. Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones? If not, which books are on your list?

The Lady Most Willing...By Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie BrockwayAt the behest of three of the most talented historical romance authors
writing today, you are cordially invited to a ball. No, a party. No...a
kidnapping.

Taran Ferguson, laird of his clan, is determined that his ancient (if not so
honorable) birthright be secured before he dies. When both his nephews refuse to
wed, the old reprobate takes matters into his own hands: he raids a ball and
makes off with four likely brides...

Miss Marilla Chisholm—the bonniest lass in Scotland, and an heiress to boot.

Miss Fiona Chisholm—her older sister, another fine choice (but for that tiny
stain on her reputation).

Lady Cecily Tarleton—true, she's an English beauty, but very, very rich.

Miss Catriona Burns—without name or fortune, clearly someone made a mistake.

Oh, yes. And one very irate duke.

Because somewhere there must be one lady most willing to love a Scottish
lord.

(Avon)

*******

Timber CreekBy Veronica Wolff

For Laura Bailey, weathering her teen years at her quaint family lodge in a boondock town at the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas wasn’t easy. Fleeing for San Francisco the minute she graduated high school seemed like a good idea—until she lost her job and her fiancé. The blow to her pride sent her back to Sierra Falls to figure out her life. But her hometown is undergoing a bit of renovation.

A new Sierra Falls resort is posing a threat to the Bailey family business. Even worse, the construction company developing the property is run by Eddie Jessup, Laura’s cocky high school nemesis who delighted in locking horns with the little spitfire. Some things never change. But their battle isn’t the only thing heating up between Laura and Eddie, and before long they realize that getting to know each other all over again has its rewards. But fate isn’t through with them. Nor are the games men and women play in the name of love.

(Berkley)

*******

The Seduction of Elliot McBrideBy Jennifer Ashley

Juliana St. John was raised to be very proper. After a long engagement, her
wedding day dawns—only for Juliana to find herself jilted at the altar.

Fleeing the mocking crowd, she stumbles upon Elliot McBride, the tall,
passionate Scot who was her first love. His teasing manner gives her an idea,
and she asks Elliot to save her from an uncertain future—by marrying her…

After escaping brutal imprisonment, Elliot has returned to Scotland a
vastly wealthy yet tormented man. Now Juliana has her hands full restoring his
half-ruined manor in the Scottish Highlands and trying to repair the broken
heart of the man some call irredeemably mad. Though beautiful and spirited,
Juliana wonders if that will be enough to win a second chance at love.

(Berkley)

*******

A Soul So WickedBy Sharie Kohler

In the dark world of the Moon Chasers, love and evil are separated by only a heartbeat as an undying lycan searches for the demon witch who cursed him.

For generations, the immortal Darius, doomed to roam the Earth as a lycan, has hunted the one responsible for his terrible fate. He is determined to exact revenge for the untold suffering Tresa has unleashed upon the world, but when the two finally come face-to-face, Darius discovers that she is not the purely evil creature he expected, but rather a tantalizing woman.

Determined to avoid causing further harm, Tresa has spent numberless centuries fleeing the demon who enslaved her. Tormented by the devastating mistakes of her past, she feels she has condemned herself to suffering. Certainly she does not deserve to find passion...Yet it may be that only by becoming lovers will Darius and Tresa find a power that burns brighter than the dark forces arrayed against them, a love pure enough to at last bring them both the redemption that they crave.

(Pocket)

*******

True Love at Silver Creek RanchBy Emma Cane

Welcome to Valentine Valley, where tongues are wagging now that the town
bad boy is back—and rumor has it the lean, mean ex-Marine is about to lose his
heart! But like it or not, in a town like Valentine, love happens . . .

Adam Desantis is back—bruised, battle-weary and sexier than ever! Not that
Brooke Thalberg is in the market. The beautiful cowgirl of Silver Creek Ranch
needs a cowboy for hire, not a boyfriend—though the gaggle of grandmas at the
Widows' Boardinghouse thinks otherwise. But from the moment she finds herself in
Adam's arms, she's shocked to discover she may just want more.

Adam knows it's crazy to tangle with Brooke, especially with the memories
that still haunt him, and the warm welcome her family has given him. But he
finds himself in a fix, because tender-loving Brooke is so much more woman than
he ever imagined. Can a soldier battling demons give her the love she clearly
deserves?

Just about everybody in Valentine thinks so!

(Avon)

*******

Perfect FitBy Carly Phillips

Always feeling like the odd man out in his family, Michael Marsden wanted to
make it on his own. So he escaped Serendipity to become an undercover cop in
Manhattan, where the Marsden name wasn’t known. But Michael’s independence is
compromised when he returns home to replace his sick father as chief of police.
Back in the shadow of his family, he’s as lost and restless as ever, until he’s
challenged by someone he never anticipated.

Cara Hartley is the
Serendipity cop with whom Mike had a one night stand three months earlier.
Neither expected anything more but fate has other things in store. When Mike
returns as Cara’s boss, the sexual tension between them is impossible to
ignore--and the unexpected emotional connection continues to grow. But Cara’s a
small town girl while Mike has a wanderer’s blood in his veins.

Both are
convinced a future together is impossible. Until Mike’s real father’s secrets
come back to haunt him and he realizes there are some things worth staying and
fighting for. Including Cara. (Berkley)

TLMW is one I plan on buying, too. I really like JQ; I'm in the minority, I know, but I am not a fan of Eloisa James. (Please, let me stay, don't boot me off.) ;) I still have a tremendous TBR pile, so need to get buy reading over the holiday.

I've read The Lady Most Willing with a smile on my face through nearly every page. I loved all the characters, but Eloisa James's story is my favorite by a nose--or more accurately, by a bookish heroine. EJ is one of my never-fail authors. I've also read and enjoyed True Love at Silver Creek Ranch.

I am so-o-o eager to read The Seduction of Elliot McBride. I'm also looking forward to the start of a new series from Christie Ridgway, a new Kowalski from Shannon Stacey, and The Lost Art of Mixing from Erica Bauermeister, an author whose books I love, to whom PJ introduced me.

And January 29, which you guys count as February but I list with January books, will be a frabjous day with new releases from Manda Collins, Meredith Duran, Sarah MacLean, Teresa Medeiros, Molly O'Keefe, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, and Mariah Stewart. I've already read six of these, and I'm so excited!

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